


The Accident

by Elle82



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Age Play, Age Regression/De-Aging, Brevity? What is that?, Diapers, Gen, Head Injury, Hurt/Comfort, I can't write drabbles, Infantilism, Long, Non-Sexual Age Play, Pacifiers, Plushies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-07
Updated: 2015-02-07
Packaged: 2018-03-10 22:00:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3304925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elle82/pseuds/Elle82
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A playdate with Will and Matty takes a turn for the strange when Matty hits his head.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Accident

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to telera for the idea of little Matty regressing, and Uncle Hannibal and little Will looking after him! This is a looooong fic, I somehow can't seem to write drabbles! 
> 
> Prompts always welcome - comment below or find me on tumblr : puppxtraining :)

“Oh Daddy, are we going to have chicken nuggets with smiley potatoes for lunch? They’re Matty’s favourites!”

Will was sitting at the breakfast bar, eating his granola and kicking his legs back and forth excitedly. Hannibal gave his boy a grin.

“Yes, darling Will, I remembered your cousin’s favourite meal. And you can have some of the ice-cream I made last night for dessert.”

“Can we make banana’s split?”

Hannibal laughed and wiped a droplet of milk from Will’s chin with a napkin.

“We can make a banana split, Will. Maybe I’ll lay out the ingredients on the bench and you boys can assemble your own banana splits.”

“Daddy that sounds wonderful! We’re going to have such a fun day!”

It was a Friday morning. Hannibal and Will had taken a long weekend and since Frederick had to work at the hospital, Hannibal invited Matthew to spend the day with them.

“What time will Matty be here?”

Hannibal finished his coffee and glanced up at the clock on the wall.

“In about half an hour, baby boy. So I want you to go upstairs, put on the clothes I have laid out for you and brush your teeth.”

Will finished the last bit of granola from his bowl before jumping out of his chair and placing his bowl and spoon in the sink.

“Okay daddy.”

Hannibal ruffled Will’s hair and pulled Will in for a kiss on his forhead.

“Daddy don’t, I don’t want to be still in my pyjamas when Matty’s here!”

And with that he ran upstairs.

Hannibal tidied the kitchen quickly before retiring to his own bedroom to get dressed. He had some cooking to do, and some reviewing of his patient notes. So Matthew coming over was good – it would give the boys a chance to play after the slightly disastrous last time they spent time together.

After he got dressed, he went to Will’s room where the boy was putting on his shoes.

“Do you need help with the laces, darling?”

“Um, no, I can do it. Like we practiced, right?”

Hannibal sat next to Will as he painstakingly tied his shoelaces, muttering the directions to himself under his breath and then flashing his daddy a satisfied grin when he had done them both up.

“Very good Will! How clever you are.”

Will blushed.

“Now Will, do you need to go potty before Matty gets here?”

“Nuh-uh.”

“Are you sure?”

Will nodded.

“C’mon daddy, they’ll be here soon.”

Hannibal laughed as Will ran out of the room and down the stairs and followed soon after his boy.

…

The doorbell rang but Will knew they were already coming – he had been standing by the front window for the last 10 minutes, yelping excitedly when he saw Uncle Frederick’s little red car come up the driveway.

“Daddy they’re here!”

Will flung the door open and grinned at his cousin and Uncle Frederick as they climbed up the front steps.

“Hi Matty! Hello Uncle Frederick.” Will said as he reached out to hug Matty.

“Hi Will! I’m so excited to spend the day with you.”

“Me too Matty! We’re going to make banana’s split.”

Will grabbed Matty’s hand and took him out to the back garden while Hannibal passed them on the way to his door.

“Thanks for looking after him, Hannibal. I’d take the day off too, spend it with the boy, but we’ve had some new patients arrive at the hospital, and you know what that does to the paperwork.”

“Of course, Frederick. It’s my pleasure to have Matthew here for the day. Oh, here, I have something for you.”

Hannibal held out a small black bag for Frederick, who took it and looked at Hannibal suspiciously.

“What is it?”

“It’s something for your lunch. Smoked salmon and cress on sourdough, and a piece of my apple cake for afterward. Much better than that cafeteria stuff that passes a food these days.”

Frederick blushed.

“Hmph. What will they think, me arriving to work with a little packed lunch? They’ll think there’s something going on between us, Hannibal.”

Hannibal smiled and placed his hand on Frederick’s shoulder as he walked him out to the front porch.

“Let them talk. But I will not have a good friend head off to work without the promise of at least one good meal for the day. Speaking of which, stay for dinner tonight when you pick Matty up. I’ve purchased a goose that I am keen to roast for us all.”

“Hmm well, okay. I’ll be back around 6ish. Can I bring anything?”

“Nothing at all, Frederick. Have a good day.”

“Thanks Hannibal. And if my boy misbehaves, feel free to give him a sound spanking. I know you’ll be fair.”

“I’m sure he’ll be fine, Frederick.”

…

The boys started by playing in the garden, a game where they pretended the garden paths were piranha-infested rivers and stepping a foot on the stone was forbidden. So they jumped back and forth, yelling for each other to be careful and at one point, Matty picked Will up and carried him as he stepped across.

Hannibal watched the boys play from the workstation he had set up on the back verandah, until it was time to prepare lunch.

As with any meal time, Hannibal set out plates and cutlery, every meal something special. He set out a plastic cup for Matty and Will’s customary tippy cup, both filled with juice.

He called the boys in and after making sure they washed their hands, they took their places at the table.

“I really love your cooking, Uncle Hannibal.”

At home, Matty usually ate microwaved or takeaway food. There were times when his daddy surprised him and made Cuban sandwiches, or pulled pork with all the sides. But those times were few and far between.

“Thank you, Matthew. It is always a pleasure to cook for people who appreciate it.”

Will grinned as he took a bite of chicken.

“So what are you boys going to do this afternoon?”

“Well daddy, I thought maybe we might play some more in the garden. Maybe on the swings. I want to see if Matty can swing as high as me.”

“Just be careful, Will. I don’t want either of you falling off the swing and hurting yourself.”

“I’ll be fine, Uncle Hannibal. I jump off swings all the time.”

“That may be, Matthew, but your daddy wouldn’t be impressed if he picked you up and you were injured. Now, who wants dessert?”

“Me me!” the boys shouted.

They took their plates and cups to the kitchen while Will carefully loaded them into the dishwasher. While he did that, Hannibal set out the bananas, freshly whipped cream, chopped nuts and ice cream for their banana splits.

He watched as the boys made their desserts, cautioning Will when he was getting a little too carried away with the whipped cream.

Hannibal allowed the boys to eat their creations on the back verandah, where he had cleared his laptop off the table.

“Your daddy is so nice, Will.”

Will grinned, a dab of cream on his nose.

“He is the best daddy, Matty. But your daddy is okay too. But not as nice as my daddy.”

Matty laughed and leaned over, licking the cream off Will’s nose.

“Ewwww! Matty yuck!”

Both boys laughed and finished their dessert.

After placing their dishes in the dishwasher again, they ran out to the swing set.

“Not too high, boys. Remember, you’ve just eaten.” Hannibal called out to them, as he began his own prep work in the kitchen.

“Yes daddy!”

“Yes Uncle Hannibal.”

“Do you want to go first, Matty?”

“Um, sure. You don’t want to go first?”

“No, daddy says it’s good manners to let guests go first.”

“Okay. You’ll see how high I go and whoever wins gets to kiss the loser anywhere they want.”

Will giggled.

“You’re silly Matty! This is my swing set, and I will win for sure.”

“You’re on, Will.”

The boys shook hands and Matty sat on the seat. He began to swing, pumping his legs back and forth. He started off slow, keeping his eyes on his little cousin who was watching him in awe.

“Look at me, Will! Look how high I’m going!”

“Go Matty! Higher, higher!”

“Wheeee!”

Matty was building up speed and height and Will was jumping up and down, clapping his hands.

On the way back down though, Matty’s left foot clipped the ground and it threw off his momentum. He swung violently to one side, then the other. Trying to shift his weight to get his balance back, Matty slipped off the seat, mid-air, and landed heavily on the ground, hitting his head.

“Matty!”

Will ran over to his cousin and shook him. He didn’t move.

“Daddy! DADDY!”

Hannibal came running out. He had taken his eyes off the boys for one moment while he was prepping his vegetables for dinner.

“What happened, Will?”

“I-I don’t know. Matty was swinging, and then he fell off.”

Hannibal gently rolled Matthew onto his back and felt for his pulse. It was there, but was weak. Hannibal pressed the palm on his hand into Matthew’s cheek. Will began to cry.

“Matthew? Matthew can you hear me?”

“Daddy what’s wrong? Why isn’t he waking up?”

For a split second, Hannibal though about safe wording out, requesting that Will come back to his adult self. But Matthew began to stir and mutter, so he let it go. Will could safe word out himself if he wanted to, or he would retreat further if he felt afraid.

“Mmmmphhh…”

“Will darling, go and fetch a glass of water please.”

Will nodded and ran inside, conscious of being quick but being careful not to spill.

“Come on Matthew, open your eyes for me.”

Slowly, Matthew opened his eyes and looked up. He frowned and then let out a loud cry.

As he cried, all Will could do was sit and watch, crying himself, biting back his own sobs.

Hannibal quickly checked Matthew over, making sure no limbs were broken or sprained. He opened Matthew’s eyes wide, checking for uneven pupils.

“Matthew, it’s okay. You’re here with me, your Uncle Hannibal, and your cousin Will. Can you hear me?”

Matthew’s tears slowed.

“Da…dadda?”

Will frowned. Why was Matty calling his daddy that?

Before he could ask, Matthew sat up and threw his arms around Hannibal.

“Dada dada.” he babbled, trying to crawl awkwardly into Hannibal’s lap.

Hannibal sighed as he tried to soothe Matthew, while looking at Will’s frowning face.

The afternoon had taken quite an unusual turn.

…

As Matthew’s tears subsided, he stuck his thumb in his mouth and began to suck it. Will continued to frown. He had never seen Matty suck his thumb before.

“Daddy, what’s wrong with Matty?”

“He may be confused, Will. He’s bumped his head and sometimes when that happens, people might act a little bit strangely. But we need to go inside, maybe let your cousin have a rest. Can you be a brave boy and help with your cousin?”

Hannibal was giving Will another opportunity to use his safe word, but Will just nodded his head and stood up.

“I can help daddy.”

When Hannibal helped Matthew to stand up, he noticed that the boy had wet his pants.

“Daddy, Matty’s had an accident.”

Hannibal just nodded as he held Matthew’s elbow and walked the boy into the house, still sucking his thumb.

“Will darling, can you run upstairs and get your diaper bag from daddy’s room? I think it might be safe to put a diaper on your cousin, just in case.”

Will nodded again and ran upstairs to get the bag. Before heading back downstairs, Will grabbed Mr Bear from his room, along with his favourite sleeper with the puppies on it, and his blue pacifier.

When Will returned, Hannibal placed a changing pad on the carpet and laid Matthew down gently. Will watched from close by, scared but curious.

Matthew wriggled around as Hannibal tried to take off his wet pants and underwear. It was so strange to see Matthew being treated like this by his own daddy.

“Will, can you help keep your little cousin happy while daddy puts a diaper on him?”

Will nodded again and came to sit near his cousin. Matty looked up at him and giggled, reaching out with his free hand to touch Will’s nose.

Will grabbed Mr Bear and held him in front of Matty, distracting him momentarily and allowing him to lie still as Hannibal cleaned his groin with a baby wipe.

“Mngghh…” Matty gurgled around his thumb as he reached for Will’s plushie. Will moved the toy around, pretending it was walking on air. Matty giggled as Hannibal covered his groin in talculm powder and placed a thick diaper underneath him.

“Matty, this is Mr Bear. You can borrow him, if you want. But it’s only a loan, you can’t keep him. Okay?”

Matty reached both hands out for Mr Bear and Will handed him to him as Hannibal finished diapering him.

“Will, can I leave you here for a moment while I phone your Uncle Frederick? I think it best that I tell him about what’s happened.”

“Daddy, is Matty sick? Will he be okay?” Will’s lower lip trembled and his eyes watered. Matthew chewed on Mr Bear’s ear.

“He will be okay, my darling. Just sometimes when the brain get’s hurt, it needs to protect itself. So Matthew…Matty, has regressed. But we will look after him, and I’m sure he will be back to his old self soon enough. But until then, I need you to be brave and help me look after him, okay?”

Will sniffed back his tears and took a deep breath.

“Okay, daddy.”

Hannibal gave Will a reassuring smile and a kiss on the cheek before getting up to phone Frederick.

Will regarded his now little cousin. He was drooling all over Mr Bear so Will grabbed the pacifier.

“Here Matty. You want this? Better than Mr Bear’s ear.”

Will held the pacifier to Matty’s lips, and after a moment, Matty took it into his mouth and began to suck.

“Good Matty.”

Will stroked his hair as Matty lay there, kicking his legs in the air, clutching Mr Bear.

…

“What’s my boy done now? I told you, you can just spank him if he’s been naughty, Hannibal. I’m not as precious as you when it comes to punishment.”

“Frederick, it’s not that. Matthew’s had an accident.”

“An accident? What do you mean? If he’s peed himself, don’t let him tell you he’s sick, it’s just a ploy for attention. Let him sit in it for a few hours, teach him a lesson”

Hannibal sighed.

“No, Frederick. He fell off the swing and hit his head.”

“Oh. Is he…is he okay?”

Hannibal was watching the boys from the doorway. Will had given Matty’s his pacifier which he was sucking on contentedly. Will had grabbed a pillow off the couch and placed it under Matty’s head and was stroking his hair.

“He’s fine. I’ve checked him for signs of concussion, he seems okay. He hasn’t vomited, his pupils are normal. But he’s…he’s…”

“He’s what, Hannibal. Spit it out, I have patients to see.”

“He’s regressed, Frederick. Quite severely.”

Silence.

“I’ll try to get there as soon as possible.”

…

Hannibal hung up the phone. Matty was sitting up with Will’s assistance. Will crouched down in front of Matty, checking his eyes once again. Matty giggled and reached out to grab Hannibal’s ears.

Hannibal gave a small laugh and stroked the boy’s cheek.

“I’ve called your daddy, Matthew. He said he’d be here as soon as he can.”

“Dada?” Matty mumbled around the pacifier.

“Yes Matthew. You dada is on his way.”  

“Daddy?” Will whispered.

“Yes, Will?” Hannibal whispered back.

“When will cousin Matty be back?”

Hannibal signed.

“I don’t know, darling. Sometimes these things are only temporary. Sometimes they can last a bit longer. I’m going to suggest that your uncle take Matthew to the emergency room if he’s still not better in a few hours.”

Will nodded sadly.

“Can I show him my blocks?”

“Of course. Now, Will. Can I trust you to look after your cousin? I won’t be far away, and your uncle should be here soon. But if you see him do anything unusual, or you think something’s wrong, you must tell me straight away, do you understand?”

“Yes daddy. I’ll look after him.”

Will gave his daddy a small smile and then took Matty’s hand and helped him stand up.

“C’mon Matty, I’ll show you my toys.”

It would have been an adorable sight under more normal circumstances. But there was a tinge of sadness to Will’s prompting that they play together. Matty toddled over with Will, still clutching Mr Bear, and wearing only a diaper and his t-shirt.

“These are my blocks. But I only play with them when I’m really really little.”

Matty picked one up and handed it to Will. It had a love heart on it.

“Wuv you Will?”

Will took it from Matty.

“That’s right, Matty. That’s a love heart.”

Will picked up another block with a star on it.

“This is a star, Matty. Can you say ‘star’?”

Matty cocked his head to the side.

“Sta?”

“Very good Matty. Very good.”

…

They had been playing for about an hour, with Hannibal checking on them every ten minutes or so, when Matty spat out the pacifier and began to cry again.

“What’s wrong, Matty? Daddy, why is Matty crying?”

“Hmm…well, his diaper could be wet. Let me check.”

Hannibal placed two fingers inside the legband of Matty’s diaper, but it was dry,

“Maybe he’s cold daddy? Should we put him in one of my sleepers?”

“That is an excellent idea, Will.”

So Will grabbed the sleeper from the couch and with a bit of struggling, they managed to get Matty into it while he clutched Mr Bear. The legs were a little too short for him, seeing as it was Will’s sleeper, but it was soft and warm. Still little Matty cried.

“What’s wrong, baby Matty? Are you tired? Or thirsty?”

“Yes Will, perhaps I will prepare a bottle for him. Can you stay here with Matty, and I’ll prepare some warm milk.”

Will nodded. It took some cajoling and a bit of pulling, but eventually, Will got Matty onto the couch where the baby clung to him, sniffling into his shirt.

When Hannibal returned, he smiled at the sight.

“Would you like to feed him, Will?”

“Me?”

“Yes. You remember how nice it is to be held by someone you love while being fed.”

Will swallowed and readjusted Matty on his lap. Then, taking the bottle from his daddy, he held the nipple to Matty’s lips.

He immediately quieted as he took the nipple and began to nurse.

“Good baby. Drink up all your milk and you’ll feel better soon.”

Hannibal smiled down at them and stroked Matty’s hair.

Matty nuzzled into Will’s chest and closed his eyes, making soft satisfied noises as he drained the warm milk.

When he finished, Will pulled the nipple from his mouth and Matty gave a small whine. So Will grabbed the pacifier and slipped it in his mouth, eliciting a happy sigh from Matty.

The doorbell rang and Matty opened his eyes, gazing up at Will.

“Shhh it’s okay baby Matty. It’s just the doorbell.”

Will continued to hold Matty and rock him, murmuring sweet nothings to him as Matty sucked on his pacifier, one arm still hugging Mr Bear, the other finding it’s way to hold on to Will’s t-shirt.

Hannibal went to the door to find Frederick who pushed past him as soon as it opened.

“Where is he? Is he okay Hannibal?”

“He’s okay, Frederick. But he has regressed. Will is looking after him.”

Hannibal showed Frederick to the living room where the boys were, and when he saw his boy being held by Will, dressed in a sleeper and sucking on a pacifier, he gasped.

“Dios mio.”

Will looked up and gave his uncle a small smile.

“Wh-what happened to him, Hannibal? What did you do?”

“Calm yourself Frederick. Can I get you a drink?”

Frederick swallowed.

“I think so, Hannibal.”

Frederick continued to watch, but didn’t dare go over. Matty had been his little boy for so long, but had never once shown an urge to regress further, something Frederick was okay with. Yes, there were times when Matty wanted extra cuddles or seemed more touchy-feely than usual, but this was something else.

Hannibal returned with a glass of whiskey.

“It was a simple accident, Frederick. The boys were playing on the swing and he fell off. I’ve monitored him, there seems to be no permanent damage, just a temporary regression.”

Frederick took a sip of his whiskey.

“Temporary? How temporary?”

Hannibal shrugged.

“I don’t know, Frederick. All I know is he’s been calling for his daddy. You should spend some time with him, it might jolt him out of it.”

Frederick shook his head and lowered his voice to a whisper.

“Oh, no. No, I couldn’t do that. I mean…what do I do with a baby?”

Hannibal smiled and placed his hand on Frederick’s shoulder.

“You take care of him. You love him. Same as always, Frederick.”

Frederick swallowed the last of his whiskey and Hannibal urged him over to where Will sat. As soon as Matty saw his daddy, he smiled and held his arms out to him, making grabbing motions with his hands.

“Oh Matty…what happened to you?”

Frederick sat down on the couch and Matty crawled into his lap, wrapping his legs around his daddy’s waist and burying his face in the crook of his neck. Frederick could feel the thick padding between Matty’s legs.

“Is he…is he wearing a diaper?”

“He had a little accident, Uncle Frederick. But he’s been a good baby.”

Frederick wrapped his arms around his boy, patting him gently on the back. He could feel the movements of the pacifier against his neck, and heard Matty sigh happily.

“My poor baby. Oh Matty, there’s my baby, there’s my boy.”

Frederick kissed the boy on the cheek and he giggled, pulling away from his daddy.

Frederick examined his face. There was a glint in his eye, a hint of the mischievous young boy he knew and loved. And suddenly, and almost imperceptibly, a tiny wink.

Before Frederick could say anything, Matty climbed off his lap and crawled over to the blocks on the floor and began to stack them. Will followed him and joined his cousin as Hannibal came to sit beside Frederick.

“Like I said, Frederick, I don’t think this is permanent. He should come out of it, whether it is gradual or sudden, I’m not sure.”

“I’m sure he’ll be fine. In fact, I might take him home, Hannibal. But I’ll keep an eye on him, monitor him. Obviously if anything changes, I’ll take him straight to the ER.”

“That sounds like a good idea. Again, I’m sorry this happened. I was watching them, but you know how boys are.”

“Oh, no, Hannibal, I know you take care of them well.  Come on, Matty, time to go home.”

Matty looked up at his daddy and looked at Will, mumbling around his pacifier.

“Will come home?”

“No Matty, I’m staying here. This is my home. But I’ll see you soon?”

Matty nodded and hugged Will.

“Wuv you, Will.”

“Love you too, Matty. You can take Mr Bear and my pacifier. I have loads of plushies.”

Frederick took Matty by the hand and helped him to his feet.

“Thank you Will, that’s very kind.”

“I’ll launder Matty’s clothes, Frederick. You can pick them up next time you visit.”

“Thank you, Hannibal. Thank you Will.”

“Bye Uncle Frederick, bye Matty.”

…

Matty toddled down Hannibal’s driveway, holding his daddy’s hand and still clutching Mr Bear. Frederick opened the door for him and buckled him in.

They got as far as around the corner when Frederick broke the silence.

“Why did you do that, Matty?”

Matty stayed silent, then took the pacifier out of his mouth. He shrugged.

“I dunno.”

“You scared me, you know. And you caused me to leave work early. Was this just a game to you?”

Matty shrugged again. His daddy seemed so angry.

“I did hit my head. And I remember passing out, daddy. But when I came to, and saw Uncle Hannibal and Will looking down at me, I wondered…well, I wondered what it would be like to a helpless baby. And what it would be like to be looked after like that.”

A lone tear slid down Matty’s cheek.

“I just…I just wanted to feel looked after.”

“Do you not think I look after you?”

“You do, daddy. And I love you. But sometimes, sometimes I see Will and Uncle Hannibal, and sometimes I miss spending time with you.”

Frederick sighed. He did work long hours. And his boy’s independence meant that sometimes Frederick assumed he was fine eating most meals alone and putting himself to bed.

Frederick pulled into their driveway and pulled the key out of the ignition, turning it over in his hands.

“I’m sorry, Matty. I thought that you were happy with things.”

“I am daddy! Oh, I am. But, but maybe we could do more stuff together? Like you can show me how to make Cuban sandwiches. Or we could have a regular movie night.”

Frederick thought about this for a second. And remembered holding the boy in his arms, soft and sweet smelling, nuzzling his neck.

“I think we can manage that. Maybe tomorrow morning, we’ll go down to the market and get some groceries, and go for a picnic at the park. Maybe play catch?”

Matty grinned.

“I’d love that, daddy.”

“Okay. Sounds like a plan. C’mon, lets go inside and get you out of those clothes and that diaper.”

“Umm…maybe, could I…could I leave it on for the night?”

Frederick chuckled and ruffled Matty’s hair.

“Alright, you can leave it on for the night.”

“I love you, daddy.”

“Love you too, Matty.”


End file.
